Day: March 2, 2018

2018 tax refund trends: early filers spending on travel

Posted on by shopkick

If the only sure things in life are death and taxes, then tax refund spending is surely a seasonal shopping moment that shouldn’t be ignored. We recently conducted a survey to find out when Americans file their returns, and how they plan to spend their refunds.

The majority of those surveyed (66%) expect a refund this year and nearly 80% plan to spend at least part of it – and they plan to do so soon. Travel was a common theme, with 23% of people planning to spend tax refunds on a vacation.

70% of respondents file as soon as they receive W2s, compared with just 6% that wait until April to file. And the earlier you file, the earlier you can spend your refund. For the 23% of respondents planning to spend their refund on a much-needed vacation, filing early can make all the difference when it comes to finding and booking the cheapest flights, hotels and entertainment.

“We filed our tax return the minute our W2s came in January,” said Oklahoma City resident Kendra Barreda. “We’re planning our family summer vacation now and 90 percent of the funding for our road trip out west to Disneyland is coming from our tax refund. This isn’t the first year we’ve used our tax refund on vacation either, last year we took the family to Universal Studios and Harry Potter World thanks to our refund!”

Returns aren’t just going to vacations, however. Other ways Americans will be spending their refunds this year include:

  • Doubling down on debt: 62 percent will put their tax refund toward paying down existing debt
  • Being basic: 36 percent will use the money to pay for everyday expenses
  • Loving life: Home improvement projects (19 percent), major investments like a car or home (17 percent), self-care (16 percent) and shopping spree (11 percent) round out reported spending

Twenty-four percent of people will be saving the entirety of their refund by:

  • Sticking it in savings: 70 percent will send it into their savings account
  • Preparing for the worst: 17 report using the refund to create an emergency fund
  • Being sensible: 3 percent plan to invest in retirement accounts, the stock market or college savings accounts, respectively
  • Keeping It old school: 4 percent will stash the goods under their mattress

Shopkick now offers opportunities to earn rewards when booking travel through a variety of partnerships with leading travel sites Booking.com, Hotels.com, Hotwire and CheapOair.

The best video advertising apps to reach—and grow—your audience

Posted on by shopkick

The best video advertising apps to reach—and grow—your audience

A good video advertising app doesn’t just create brand awareness, it also converts viewing into interest in your brand—and eventually turns viewers into buyers. At one time, apps were games or simple side features on a mobile phone. Now, they’re the primary way that consumers use their phones, with 52% of time on digital media being spent on mobile apps. Video is a popular feature on these apps, and brands can leverage this tool to grow their audience. The key to growing an audience with a video advertising app is following the consumers to the platforms they use and becoming a part of those apps.

Brands need to get involved now if they’re going to continue to gain the greatest advantage from a mobile advertising program. There are a few categories of apps that incorporate video, including social media and shopping and rewards apps, that present opportunities for brands to convert consumers. By choosing apps that offer what consumers are looking for, these brands can reach and grow their audience.

Growing Consumer Demand for Shopping Apps

Use of shopping apps is growing. In fact, from 2016 to 2017 these types of apps saw 54% activity growth. This was much higher than the average for all apps, at just 6%. There are several reasons that shopping app usage has grown, including:

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Perceived value:

Consumers receive rewards from shopping apps which they can often trade for gift cards or gift certificates. The consumer’s perception of value is often greater than the simple dollar amount for these points as there is an emotional return in both earning the reward and in using the resulting points to save for another item. Rewards are one of the primary reasons consumers choose retail mobile shopping apps, so offering them provides a chance to gain greater brand affinity.

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mCommerce:

Consumers frequently use shopping apps as a means of ordering items online. It’s anticipated that mCommerce will account for 45% of all online purchases in the US by 2020. Because they often promote both in-store and digital purchases, shopping apps are uniquely positioned to capitalize on this trend toward using mobile devices for online purchases.

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Gamification:

While games are among the most popular apps, many other apps are taking on game-like attributes to gain consumer awareness. This is the case with the Shopkick app, which creates a digital scavenger hunt that allows consumers to use the app in-store to find and collect rewards (known as kicks) on items. The gamification of shopping apps keeps consumers engaged by consistently challenging them, and then rewarding them for meeting those challenges, much as in a game.

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Increased complexity:

Shopping apps have grown more sophisticated since they were initially developed. Many have added options like digital wallets and geotracking, which makes these apps better able to travel with consumers. The increasing intelligence of shopping apps has made them far more appealing, and they’re no longer just sources of discounts. Consumers are able to use mobile apps to plan out their whole shopping trip ahead of time or simply access them as they’re in the shopping aisle. Their versatility is driven mainly by the complexity of these apps.

One thing that some shopping apps have incorporated is the use of video. Brands can use video advertisements to gain awareness of their products directly within these platforms. As consumers using these apps are already in a purchase mindset, this is a prime opportunity. Another opportunity to be found is with rewarded video.

Using a Rewarded Video Advertising App

Various app platforms, from games to social media, are now offering rewarded video as an option to consumers. This isn’t a standalone feature, as rewarded video is usually added onto an existing platform, but it’s a highly lucrative one for both app developers and brands. In one study, it was noted that 33% of mobile revenue was delivered by rewarded video ads. The reason this is such a lucrative option is its popularity with consumers. Consumers prefer rewarded video for many reasons:

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Immediate rewards:

For consumers, rewarded video offers an immediate return on the time they spend viewing a video. For 15 to 30 seconds of their time, they’re able to gain rewards like points for free merchandise or in-game items. For marketers, the overhead is also low, as the brand sets the reward they choose to give and can scale the program as needed.

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Minimal disruptions:

Banner ads and pop-ups are known to be disruptive, with many consumers finding them irritating enough to uninstall apps entirely. On the other hand, rewarded video improves app retention. One study noted that rewarded video could increase app retention by as much as 4 times. Rewarded video gives consumers more control over the advertising process and, as a result, minimizes the disruption felt when ads are displayed. Because consumers have invited the advertisement to their screen, they’re more likely to keep the app installed.

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Low time commitment:

When watching television, the average commercial interruption is several minutes long. This makes viewers likely to change the channel, fast forward, or just ignore the commercial. Rewarded videos on mobile apps are much shorter, often less than 30 seconds. As a result, consumers will stay to watch the ad. This shorter format also benefits the brand, as the consumer is far more likely to watch the video and thus retain the brand’s message.

Rewarded video is not just for gaming apps. Instead, it’s becoming a major part of apps industry-wide, as marketers see an increased consumer demand. One place we’re seeing massive growth in rewarded video opportunities is through social media apps. However, social media isn’t just an ideal platform for rewarded video, it’s also an optimal spot for a growing trend: branded live video content.

Leveraging Live Video on Social Media Apps

Social media is indisputably a good place for brands to interact with consumers. About 50 million small businesses report using social media pages to connect with audiences. However, this leads to an issue of brand fatigue. Consumers have grown weary of advertisements on social media, which is why brands must find new ways to stand out.

One thing that has been growing on these platforms is the use of live video. In one survey, researchers found that 80% of consumers would rather watch a live video from a brand than read a blog post, while 82% would prefer it over a social media text update. Live video from brands feels more genuine and, as a result, increases the consumer connection. Here are just a few ways that branded live video can be used on social media:

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New product announcements:

Brands can film their announcements of new products and services and post them on social media as a way to gain immediate attention. It’s best to combine this method with other options to gain the most engagement.

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Customer Q&As:

A great way to hold a Q&A is via live video feeds. Have customers post their questions in the comments, and then your brand’s representative can answer them in real time in the live video. This direct connection creates engagement with the video and increases the likelihood that it will be shared among consumers.

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Partnered events:

When a brand partners with a company for an event, they can live stream the event on social media. This gives the consumers the perception of insider access to the company, which increases brand affinity.

Live video works well on social media because it allows brands to get consumers involved in the conversation about their products in real time. As social media is designed to encourage interaction, this is an ideal way to build brand awareness which can later be leveraged into brand affinity. It spreads your brand’s message in a genuine and immediate way.

Monetized Ads With Mobile Publishers

Mobile publishers with high performing platforms make about 55% of their revenue through ad sales, as monetized video ads within third-party apps are proven converters. Brands know that these publishers can get their ads in front of the right people, at the right time. While many of these publishers are in the gaming sector, there are other options outside of this sector that brands can use to share their video ads.

Partnering with a mobile publisher simply means advertising your product on someone else’s platform. Here are just a few segments outside of gaming where this is a possibility:

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Video streaming:

Apps like Netflix and Hulu are probably the first ones that come to mind when one is thinking about video streaming platforms. However, there are smaller niche options that could be available if a brand wants to focus on a specific community.

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Fitness:

Fitness apps that offer consumers calorie tracking, exercise regimens, and other health-inspired options can be a good solution for brands with correlating products.

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Dating:

Dating apps designed for mobile are good tools for restaurants, as those can be used as meet-up spots for first dates and singles events.

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Maps and Weather:

Information apps that provide consumers with weather reports, directions, and other necessary information are great tools for reaching consumers in a specific locality.

When considering buying ad space on a mobile publisher’s app, brands should think beyond gaming to see what other tools their target demographic might choose to use. Often, their target market is better found through apps that offer geolocation-based tools specific to the consumer’s own community. As consumers become more dependent on apps to manage their daily lives, opportunities to advertise on non-gaming apps will grow.

Bringing Together the Best Video Advertising App Features

Ideally, when a brand is looking for video advertising app options, they should seek out the apps that offer several of the above features in one place. Apps that provide more than one service keep consumers engaged with the app, which increases their interaction with the brands that use it.

Social media is a good example of a platform that brings together the best features since many social media apps combine live video, rewarded video, gamification and even payment options that encourage consumers to use these apps for everything. However, a basic social media app has limitations, including the fact that consumers may not be in a buying mindset when using social media. People turn to social media for entertainment. As a result, using these apps for audience growth and brand affinity isn’t necessarily going to work since the message isn’t guaranteed to reach the consumer at the right time.

Shopping apps are the optimal tools for tying all the best features of video advertising apps together. These are the apps that consumers use when they’re prepared to engage with a brand, whether they’re getting ready to go shopping or are already in the store. They also combine components of other popular video advertising platforms like rewarded video, social media, and gamification. By using shopping apps, brands can connect with consumers at the right time. They provide all the features of the best video advertising apps that brands need to connect with an audience and increase market share.

Shopkick’s platform is designed to help our partners build brand awareness by using the most popular app features that consumers demand. For information on adding our platform to your marketing mix, contact us.

Digital coupon apps for Android that stretch your budget

Posted on by shopkick

I like to keep my budget using an online spreadsheet. Each month I enter in estimations for how much my husband and I will need for food, clothing, school supplies for the boys, and a few more categories. Some of these categories I like, some of them are just on there because they absolutely have to be. One of my favorite expense categories, though, is the one I just label as fun.

android coupon apps for digital smartphonesThis one is for all the little things that we do to relax, things like taking the boys out for a surprise ice cream, picking up a new board game that we can all play as a family or even for the rare date night when my husband and I are able to magically find time to sneak away and go do dinner and a movie downtown (crazy, I know!). That fun category, in my fun-loving opinion, can never be big enough. That’s why today I want to talk about digital coupon apps for Android that can help to stretch your budget.

Speaking for myself, I know digital coupon apps have been an absolute revelation, one that has been so good for my fun budget that I’d feel bad if I kept them to myself a moment longer. So get ready, because today I’m going to tell you all about what these apps do well, and which ones are my favorites!

What Are Digital Coupon Apps for Android?

There are a few different ways that digital coupon apps for Android work, but the basic idea behind them all is that you essentially get paid to shop either through a reward system or through saving money right at the register! For someone like me—who has three growing boys that have impossible appetites and bodies determined to outgrow all their clothes ASAP—this is absolutely crucial.

Here are the two types of shopping apps that I just can’t live without nowadays:

  • Rewards apps: These apps generally give you points for the shopping activities you do already, things like scanning barcodes to get more information, making purchases, and sometimes even just walking into a store. When you get enough points, you can then cash them out for money or for free gift cards. With the amount of shopping I personally have to do, I always go the gift card route. I like that because I can use my gift cards to buy things like clothes, groceries, toiletries and school supplies while redirecting the cash to my fun budget. But that’s just my system—I’m sure you’ll find something great that works for you, too!
  • Couponing apps: These apps are a bit more like the paper coupon systems we all used for years before smartphone apps took over. When you buy certain things at the register, you get them at a discount. The way you identify these things can vary depending on the app. There’s one, for instance, that announces new deals each week at midnight on Thursday like clockwork, while others require you to page through flyers online and circle and clip coupons you find there just like you used to with scissors. Either way, the end result is a lower bill and more funds for the all-important fun budget! All with the help of your handy-dandy Android device…isn’t that cool?

The Digital Coupon App Android Users Love

As someone who has been using digital coupon app for Android for a while now, I’ve actually found a favorite. And you know what the best part of it is? With the best, I’m able to use two apps together to maximize my rewards!

Here’s how I use two apps together to set aside more funds in my fun budget:

  • SnipSnap: This is a really cool couponing apps that lets users take pictures of printed coupons, which it then transforms into digital, mobile-ready ones. With SnipSnap, I can browse online directories and take advantage of coupons that my friends have “snipped” too, which makes it feel a bit social. This is one of those apps where the savings come at the register, and the idea is that coupons can all be easily kept in one digital space, instead of having an overflowing little billfold stuffed with paper cutouts. Or a junk drawer where you stuff all of them, just like I used to have back in the day!
  • Shopkick: Now we come to my all-time favorite digital coupon app for Android: Shopkick! There are a few different reasons that I love Shopkick, and chief among them is that how it works is just so easy. In the simplest terms, with Shopkick you get points—called kicks—for walking into the store, for scanning certain products, and for snapping a pic of your receipt. You can then trade those points in for gift cards to all your favorite stores. See? Easy! And you can even use it online, where you get points for visiting online retailers, watching videos about certain products, and, of course, buying them! Plus it combines super easily with SnipSnap and with plenty of other cool coupon apps as well! I can’t recommend it enough.

I know today we were talking about apps for Android, mostly because that’s the device I use. But for all you folks out there who use iPhones, SnipSnap and Shopkick is also available on iOS. I know because I also participate in Shopkick’s super cool social media streams, especially on Facebook, where I find myself sharing tips and also jokes with tons of other users just like me!

Using [Shopkick] turns every trip to the store into a scavenger hunt…

I really hope I’ve inspired you to join the Shopkick fun! Using it turns every trip to the store into a scavenger hunt, kind of like a game, and my philosophy with games has always been the more the merrier!

Learn more about the absolute best digital coupon app for Android and start boosting your own fun budget today! Download Shopkick’s free app and get ready to be wowed. Welcome to the fun!

If you’re as social media savvy as you are shopping savvy, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping fun and inspiration.

Image courtesy JacobLund